Former public toilets to get café makeover – complete with loo for all
A former public convenience in Essex is to be converted into a cafe Picture: NATASHA LYSTER
A former public lavatory is to be given a new lease of life as a café – including a toilet open to all.
Tendring District Council (TDC) closed its conveniences off Ipswich Road, in Holland-on-Sea, in 2017 as part of its Public Convenience Strategy.
But it has now agreed to lease the facility to a new tenant with plans to open up a café, together with a refurbished accessible toilet.
The decision was called in by councillors opposed to the idea, but they withdrew their objections after the future tenant offered to make the café lavatory open to the public as well as customers.
The future tenant, who has asked not to be named at this stage, expressed delighted at the opportunity to create the new facility in the area.
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“I understand the importance of local community and wish to work alongside the people of Holland-on-Sea in order to provide a café that residents can enjoy and be proud of,” they said.
“I have listened to the concerns raised by the community and offered to provide a lavatory at the café that can be accessed and used by the public when the café is open.”
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The council’s head of property services Andy White said: “The tenant’s plans to open a new café at the site, subject to planning permission and completing a lease, will make use of the building, provide a modest income for the council and provide both café and lavatory facilities for the public.
“Together with the recent sale of a nearby property on Colchester Road, it is hoped the income can be used to improve the open space around the former toilet block and create a local park that can become a much-loved and well-used open space for residents and visitors alike.”
